


The Sin of Despair

by MachineryField



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, Joker is Takashi Kido, Palace (Pacifist Run), Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, persona 5 royal spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 15:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21496246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: Takashi helped Takuto once. Now that the boy had a Palace of his own, it was his turn to help.
Relationships: Maruki Takuto & Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Help Takashi

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Purge bc they came up with the idea and now I'm just running with it. I have a lot of plans for more, but decided chapter-by-chapter would be better than all at once haha.

Takuto was afraid to answer his phone when a call from Sumire came through. Everything he had done to her came dredging back… He didn’t want the same to happen to her if she heard his voice…

But he answered, nonetheless. “Hello…?”

“Maruki-sensei…!” Her voice was panicked, her breathing heavy. “Maruki-sensei, there’s something wrong with Takashi-senpai and…”

“What?” He felt like his heart was caught in his throat. The boy who had helped him realize the error of his ways… “What’s wrong with Takashi, Sumire?”

“He… He…” A sob escaped Sumire and his own panic rose. “Please, Maruki-sensei, just come to Leblanc! Please…!”

He drew in a shaky breath, closing his eyes and steeling himself. Takashi had helped him, it was time for him to return the favor. “Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

\--

As soon as he entered Leblanc, he was greeted by Ann and Futaba’s shocked faces. Had Sumire not told them he would be coming, then…? He supposed he should explain himself, if that was the case.

“Uh… Hello there…” He gave a small, awkward wave. “Sumire called me, she said there’s something wrong with Takashi…?”

Futaba’s eyes filled with tears as Ann rubbed her back, face twisting into one of worry. “Every since he came back to visit, he’s been… Wrong.”

“Wrong?” He furrowed his brow, arms crossed against his chest. “How so?”

“The… The…” Futaba hiccuped as she held out her phone. “The Metanav, it’s back and…”

“...Takashi’s a hit.” Makoto’s voice made him turn towards the stairs.

There she was, walking down the steps with Ryuji and Yusuke trailing after her. They all looked so unsettled, the worry on Ann’s face mirrored on theirs. This was bad… The Metanav, something being wrong with Takashi… It was all adding up to…

“So you’re who Sumire called, huh?” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck. “... I guess you are the only other Persona User we know…”

“He’s our best bet…” Yusuke shook his head, looking away for a moment. “...Sir, please follow us.”

Takuto nodded, following them up the stairs as Ann and Futaba trailed behind. What he saw when they made it to the top of the stairs utterly broke his heart. There was Takashi, wrapped in a blanket and rocking back at forth.

Morgana sat in his lap, purring in a feeble attempt to pull Takashi out of this. Sumire sat behind him, rubbing circles into his back… But he could see she was holding back tears every second she was with him.

“Sensei…!” Sumire stood, rushing over to him, tears finally spilling over. “Please, please help Takashi…!”

“Takashi…” He approached the boy, only for him to pull back, harshly. “Takashi, what’s going on?”

“It’s pointless…” Takashi shook his head. “What’s going on doesn’t matter…”

“Joker…” Morgana’s ears flattened against his head for a moment before he jumped out of Takashi’s lap. “Come on, Haru is waiting for us.”

\--

Takuto hadn’t had much of a moment to register everything before he was pulled out of Leblanc and into the street. After glancing around, Futaba had once again pulled out her cellphone and, this time, entered words into it.

_ Takashi Kido, Leblanc, Prison _

The world distorted around them and, before he knew it, he was standing in front of what seemed to be a high security prison. Waiting for them was Haru, though she didn’t seem to be in her thief attire. In fact, none of them seemed to be, save Morgana.

“Here we are…” Morgana looked up at the prison, sadness flooding his features. “Joker’s Palace…”

“So he has one now…”

“He… he does and he…” Futaba wiped her eyes. “He reminds me of me, but…”

Ann placed a hand on her back, rubbing small circles on her back. “It’s okay, Futaba… I know it’s hard…”

Sumire pat the other girl’s shoulder before stepping forward, steeling herself. “Maruki-sensei, we can get into his Palace, no matter how hard we try. So you… You’re our only hope. Please… Please save Takashi-senpai!”

Takuto looked to the prison as Sumire stared at him with pleading eyes. No, not just Sumire, they all did. They all wanted -- or maybe needed -- his help. Just as much as Takashi did.

He swallowed hard, looking back to Sumire after a moment. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

\--

Infiltrating had been easier than he was expecting. Of course, the others had tried to follow him when he found a vent to climb in, but a force had kept them out… Too bad, actual Phantom Thieves would have likely come in handy here…

After all, he couldn’t exactly summon Adom Kadmon here and he didn’t have a weapon… Their stealth would’ve come in handy, at the very least, that was for sure. Well, as long as he was in his taxi uniform, he could assume he was safe, right? Takashi didn’t see him as a threat, at the very least…

“Alright… I’m coming for you, Takashi.”

He walked along, doing his best not to stare at the cells and the walls. Inmates within the cells wailed and screamed, rattled the bars as he walked by… The walls were lined with posters. Gloomy, nihilistic posters.

_ Prisoners to Fate _

_ There’s No Point in Living _

_ What are you living for? _

He swallowed hard. He’d never expected to see something like this born out of Takashi’s mind. Something so… nihilistic, so full of despair.

_ “You there! Prisoners aren’t supposed to be out of their cells!” _ Uh oh!

A hulking Shadow was approaching and, in a spark of blue flame, his clothes changed. Looked like he was a threat to Takashi now, then. Well, that wasn’t good.

He held out his staff, doing his best to use it as a weapon, but it was easily deflected by the prison guard shadow. Before he knew it, he was being grabbed by the throat and slammed into the wall. After that?

Well, after that, everything got dark for a moment. The last words he heard?

_ “Take the prisoner to his cell and enforce lockdown. We can’t have anyone escaping like that!” _

Uh oh...


	2. Negotiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can guess what Shadow shows up this chapter, I'll give you a virtual cookie :)

When Takuto woke up, he found himself in quite the cushy cell, all things considered. With how the rest of the prison had looked upon first glance, he wouldn’t have expected something so nice.

He sat up with a groan, looking around. That’s when his eyes landed on Goro Akechi… Or maybe this was a cognitive version of him… Locked up in a nice, cushy jail cell.

“So you’re finally awake.” He was just as crass as the real one, based on how he stared down at him. “I guess Takashi likes you enough to give you the cushy cell, too.”

“You… You’re a cognition…” He rubbed the back of his neck, groaning. “...What is this?”

“A cell, like all the rest. After all, we’re all just prisoners to fate.” The cognitive Goro rolled his eyes. “Takashi just likes us enough that he wants us to be comfortable before the inevitable.”

“The inevitable…?”

“You’re really quite stupid for an ex-therapist!” He clicked his tongue. “Death, you idiot. Everyone here is on death row… After all, all fates lead there, eventually.”

Takuto furrowed his brow. “What about the journey to that point? Doesn’t that count for anything?”

A barking laugh and a shake of the head. “You’re an idiot. I don’t see why Takashi likes you.”

Takuto frowned, standing. “I know you’re a cognition, but I won’t let you talk like that. I’m here to save Takashi, and nothing will stop that--”

A force pushed him back onto the bed, leaving him sitting there with wide eyes. The cognitive Goro stood, face a twisted mix of malice and disgust. “If that’s the case, then your execution is here.”

He tried to pull himself up, to no avail. All he could do was try and talk out of this, somehow get through to this cognition… Was that even possible, though? He was sure he could reason with Takashi, but his cognitions…?

“There’s no need for violence…”

The cognition pressed a gun against his mask. “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?”

The pull of the trigger and Takuto’s world went black.

\--

Had there not been a bullet? That was all Takuto could think when he sat up on the bed, now alone, and perfectly fine. Well, that was lucky for him, wasn’t it?

He pulled off his mask and rubbed his eyes with a sigh. This was already turning into more than he was expecting, but he couldn’t turn back now. Takashi clearly needed his help, and soon…

Standing, he placed the mask back on his face and made for the cell door. It was… unlocked? That was strange, if they were prisoners to fate, shouldn’t they be locked in…?

Unless, of course, to Takashi, fighting against it didn’t mean much…

He stepped out and started down the hall, trying to be a bit sneakier about everything this time. He didn’t want to get thrown right back in there, after all…

**“I couldn’t save them…”** A voice rang through the halls as Takuto walked on further.  **“I was supposed to save people, but they kept getting hurt. Kept dying…”**

This was… Takashi, wasn’t it? His thoughts, echoing through the halls. As pained as the wails of the prisoners shaking the bars. The bars they could so easily walk out of, if they so chose to…

**“There’s no point if I can’t save them… It’ll just hurt me, in the end. Hurt me and everyone else.” ** The words made his heart ache. It was almost a twisted mirror of how he had been… Only, instead of spreading himself thin  _ to  _ save everyone, he was just withdrawing from life.

He couldn’t let this continue…!

“Hey!” A guard came running at him, but he dodged the reaching for his throat this time. “Don’t you try and run from me, inmate!”

He dodged again, holding his staff up to try and keep the Shadow at bay. “There’s no need for this! Please, I just want to get to Takashi…!”

“You want to get to solitary? I don’t think so!” The guard lunged again, and Takuto barely side stepped in time. “You’ll have to get through me if you want to do that!”

The being split itself into two Shadows. Both were blond men, wrapped in flowers, thorns, and a white sheet. Their eyes were closed as they tried to hit Takuto with a Dormina, but thankfully it missed both times.

Gods of Sleep… That’s what he felt he should call them as he swallowed and began to speak.

“Please, there’s no reason to fight!” He kept his voice sturdy as he stared the Shadows down. “If you let me pass, I can help Takashi… Like he helped me?”

“Oh?” One spoke up, their voice echoing with every word. “Do you really have it in you to save him?”

He nodded, straightening his shoulders. “Yes. I do.”

“And what if he doesn’t want to listen?” The other hummed, head tilting to the side. “Will you give up?”

“Never!” He shook his head, staring up at the Shadows. “I’ll try no matter how long it takes to get through to him. No matter how much he pushes me away and hurts me!”

“Oho, I see…” The first one nodded. “But what if the prisoner tries to kill you? Will you still care for him then?”

“If he tries to kill me, it’s because he’s lashing out…” He put a hand to his chest. “That would just mean he needs my help even more!”

“Very well…” They began to back away. “You may try to save the prisoner, if you wish. We will not stand in your way… But don’t expect it to be easy.”

Takuto nodded, giving a small smile. “Don’t worry, I used to be a therapist, I know things like this aren’t going to be easy.”

As the Shadows disappeared from sight, he sucked in a breath. Alright, with that dealt with, he could move on. Hopefully other Shadows would be this agreeable.


	3. Rattled

When Takuto got to what he assumed was the courtyard, he was excited… For all of ten seconds. Then he noticed that there were Shadows everywhere and, well… He’d suddenly shrunk a good few feet. 

In fact, he was about the size of a rat or large mouse. That wasn’t good, was it?

He began skittering around, finding it more comfortable to be on all fours than on his hind legs and… That’s when he realized. His little arms were now grey and fuzzy. Oh god, he was a little rat now! How did this happen?

A fearful squeak escaped as a Shadow spotted him and began to chase him. He wasn’t sure it could understand him, so it would be better for him to run, right? He just had to find the exit to the prison courtyard…!

“Stop right there, inmate! It’s not the alloted time for you to be out here!”

Faster, he had to run faster…! He felt like he was moving as fast as he could, but he needed to keep pushing it…

Man, he wished he exercised a little more before all of this, he was running out of breath. Oh, if he got caught again because of that he was gonna kick himself over it later…! Maybe go back and regain his composure before trying to get further in…

And there he was, getting plucked up by the back of the neck. He struggled, squeaks and yells escaping, but they fell on deaf ears.

Soon enough, he was back in the cell, but he hadn’t changed back… What was with that? He wasn’t in the courtyard anymore…

“This light’ll keep you nice and small so you won’t try anything again, inmate!” Ah… So it was the light keeping him stuck like this? Good to know…

He sat there and, as soon as the Shadow was gone, squeezed right through the bars. That was so easy, had the guard not thought of the fact he was small enough to do that? The Shadows in Takashi’s mind were a bit stupid… Not that he would ever say that to his face!

He skittered down the hall and, soon enough, he was thankfully back to his human form. Good, if he had to try and get out of here all mousey, he might’ve just curled up and cried over how hard it would be…

But now he could backtrack and maybe ask the thieves about all of this… He needed to know if this was normal, after all.

\--

“So you got captured by a Shadow when you got in there…” Ryuji grimaced as he listened to Takuto. “That happened to me and Takashi the first time we went into Kamoshida’s Palace…”

“And then a cognitive Akechi-kun tried to shoot you, but you survived…” Haru bit her lower lip. “Which mirrors the real Akechi-kun killing the cognitive Takashi…”

“And now you ended up getting rattled because of lights…” Morgana made a face. “Just like Shido’s Palace…”

“It sounds like you’re going through things Takashi went through… And not anything pleasant…” Makoto furrowed her brow. “It’s like all the things he hated the most in the Palaces are trying to keep him locked in there.”

Takuto frowned, placing a hand on his chin. “I see… So will there be more to get through after the, er, mouse issue?”

“There may be floor puzzles like the Depths of Mementos…” Ann twirled hair around her finger, clearly a nervous tic. “And, uh…”

“There could be something from your Palace, Maruki-sensei…” Sumire bit her lip, staring at her feet. “S… So please make sure you’re mentally prepared before going back in there.”

Takuto gave Sumire a small smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry… I’m ready for anything.”

“A-are you sure?” Futaba stepped forward. “I-I mean… You have to go in there alone a-and… uh… W-we can’t back you up…!”

“Don’t worry.” He turned his smile to her. “You all helped me, it’s my turn to help you. Please, all I ask if you all believe in me and trust me.”

“Alright, but…” Ryuji stepped up, squaring his shoulders. “Y-you better not die, dammit! We’re gonna celebrate after you save Takashi, so you better both make it out okay!”

Takuto’s eyes widened for a moment. He knew they reached out to him to help Takashi… But he wasn’t expecting to be invited to any celebration. After what he had done, he expected to just support them all from afar…

“Ah…” He finally nodded. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll make sure we both make it out of here alright.”

Ryuji’s shoulders deflated a bit and he rubbed the back of his neck. “U-uh, good. Thanks, and good luck.”

“Here, take these.” Yusuke shoved some items into his hands. “They’ll restore your health, should you be injured.”

“And here’s some smoke bombs! If you get stuck in a tricky situation, you can run after using one of these!” Morgana’s little paws shoved more at Takuto. “Make the Phantom Thieves proud!”

Takuto nodded, looking back towards the Prison. “Alright, I’ll do my best… But, you could all go back to the real world and--”

“No way! We’ll go back when you’re ready to go back.” Ann shook her head. “Takashi is important to us, too. So if we can provide even a little help from right here… We will.”

“Oh… I see.” He nodded. “I’m sure Takashi will appreciate your efforts when it’s all said and done.”

And with those words, he made his way back to the vent he’d entered and exited through. Back in he went… This time, hopefully, he would make it to Takashi’s Shadow.


End file.
